Hand supported mop



June 18, 1957 o. SUTTLE$ HANb SUPPORTED MOP Filed June 5, 1956 United States Patent i HAND SUPPORTED MOP Omar Suttles, North Hollywood, Calif. Application June 5, 1956, Serial No. 589,540 Claims. (Cl. 15-131) This invention relates to washing and cleaning devices mountable on the hand of the person performing the cleaning operation.

Devices of this type usually consist of a fabric glove or mitten and it has been proposed to embody in such hand covering a soap container. Others have mounted the hand cover on a cleaner member consisting of a sheet of material best suited for the cleansing operation. The disadvantage of such devices is that the hand within the hand cover is not protected from the soap or other cleansing substance employed, which will gradually seep through the glove. This may not only be hard on the skin of the hand but also will cause the fingers to slip within the hand cover and so to lose the required firm grip on the cleaner member.

It is the object of the present invention toprovide a device in which the hand supporting the device is entirely protected from contact with the washing or cleaning substances employed. Another object is to provide a reservoir for cleaning fluid within the .device for. gradual dispensing therefrom but also entirely out off from contact with the hand supporting the device. A still further object is to provide in the device of the invention means for regulating the flow of the washing or cleaning fluid from the device during operations thereof.

The objects of the invention as well as the advantageous features thereof will become apparent upon perusal of the following detailed description and by referring to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 illustrating the manner in which the glove of the invention is secured in position on a cleaner member;

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the device with a portion thereof broken away for the sake of clearness;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view, on a larger scale, showing a portion of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 shows the opposite side of the device of Fig. l.

The device of the invention in the form illustrated in the drawings comprises a glove 1 which is made of rubber or other suitable water-proof material. The glove is in the first instance placed palm down on a cleaner member 2, which may be a piece of cotton carpeting or other somewhat water-pervious material, as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The upper layer of the glove is in this view shown broken away for the sake of clearness.

The cleaner member, which hereinafter for convenience mostly is referred to as the mop of the device, is somewhat larger than the finger and palm portions of the glove and it should be well rounded for convenience in car washing operations. The glove is secured in position on the mop by stitching 3 at the end of the thumb and stitchings 47 at the ends of the other fingers. In

r 2,795,80l5 Ce Patented June 18, 1957 addition, it is important to note that the wrist portion of the lower layer of the glove is secured to the mop by a line of stitching 8. The purpose of combining the mop and glove in this manner is to provide as much space as possible between the glove and mop for reasons which will be explained in the following description.

A piece of transparent, water-proof material 10, such as cellulose, is spread over the combined glove and mop and it is by stitching 11 fastened to the mop along the curved edge thereof, but the cover passes freely-over the wrist portion of the glove. The edge of the mop is in Fig. 3 at 12 shown folded over the edge. of the cover before the stitching is done, but other means of combining the parts may be substituted if preferred. The reason for providing clearance space above the wrist pottionof the glove will now be explained. The cover is at this place shown inwardly folded to provide a hem 15 which extends a distance into the space between the cover and the glove, substantially as indicated at 16, in Fig. 3. A flexible reinforcing member 17 is placed in this hem and it is by stitching 18 held tightly within the hem.

It should be clear from the foregoing description that an opening 19 in this manner is provided above the wrist portion of the glove. A suitable water and detergent mixture may be poured through this port into the spaces above and below the glove partlyor entirely to fill these spaces which, for convenience of'description may be referred to as the reservoir of the device. When thereupon the hand of the user is slipped into the glove, it is found that the detergent mixture will force thecover and the mop outwardly to permit free flowof the mixture about the glove. The flexible reinforcing member 17 will, when the hand is placed in the glove, fit snugly about the wrist of the handand when, in addition, the flap 16 of the cover extends a distance into the space above the glove, it is found that the flapwill cling tightly to the glove surface more securely to seal the entrance to the reservoir.

The detergent may be mixed into the water before it is poured into the reservoir and since a relatively small opening is required for this purpose, I have found it advantageous to close a portion of the entrance opening by suitable stitching which combines the transparent cover with the glove at each end of the opening, substantially as indicated at 20 and 21 in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Greater assurance is thereby afforded that no detergent mixture will seep out of the opening while the device is in use. And when the wrist portion of the glove is extended outward a goodly distance, as indicated at 24, there is no danger that drippings from the mop will reach the arm of the user even while shaking the hand to stir the mixture within the reservoir.

The device is now ready for use and may be moved over every portion of the car without inconvenience. Pressure may be applied by the fingers or any one of the fingers to reach any portion of the uneven surfaces of the vehicle. The mixture will slowly seep through the pervious surface of the mop to reach and thoroughly to cleanse every part of the car surface. Should there, however, be found cases where more rapid dispensing of the detergent fluid would be of advantage, it is merely required to place a few small openings in the mop for this purpose, as indicated at 2527, in Fig. 5.

Or it may be found preferable to provide a somewhat larger opening 28 below the tip 29 of the middle finger of the glove. The pressure normally applied by the finger during washing'operations will maintain this opening closed, but the pressure may be released more or less by the finger of the user to permit discharge of any required amount of the cleaning mixture through the opening. It is found advantageous to reinforce this discharge opening by placing a soft rubber washer 30 therein. A similar opening may be placed behind any one of the other fingers should more speedy discharge of the fluid be found advantageous.

It should be clear from the foregoing description that I have provided a simple and inexpensive surface cleaning device which will reach every portion of a car surface I or most any other surface to be cleaned. A more than sufiicient supply of cleansing solution may be placed in the reservoir thoroughly to wash even a very dirty automobile. j

The advantage of the transparent, water-proof cover should be apparent to anyone. It enables the user to watch the discharge progress so that he may know when it is time to refill the reservoir. This is of particularzidvantage in cases where more than one car is to be washed.

condition of the mixture in the reservoir can be checked at any time during car washing operations to determine :if shaking of the device should be necessary to maintain the solution properly mixed.

required to slip the end of a garden hose into the entrance to the reservoir to discharge any part of the cleansing mixture which may still remain therein. The

how of water through the mop will at the same time thoroughly cleanse the nap or pile of the mop. The device may then be run through a wringer, if desired, and

hung on a clothes line for drying.

But while I have herein described a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that modifications and changes, within the scope of the claims hereto appended, may be embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

'A further advantage of thetransparent' cover is that the I claim:

1. A cleaning device comprising a cleaning member of somewhat pervious material, a glove of waterproof material mounted palm down on the member and fastened thereto at the ends of the fingers and thumb and along the wrist portion of the glove, the wrist portion of the glove extending a distance beyond the member, and a transparent cover for the glove. and member, the outer edges of the member and cover being beyond the wrist portion of the glove fastened together to provide a reservoir space for a cleaning fluid about the glove, the edge of the cover above the wrist portion of the glove extending freely over 'the wrist portion to provide an entrance to the reservoir.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the portion of the cover freely extending across the Wrist portion of the glove is inwardly folded to form a hem extending a distance into the space between the cover and glove, and a flexible reinforcing member seated in said hem and by stitching held in position therein.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which an opening is cut through the cleaning member below the tip of one of the glove fingers to provide a finger controlled passage for the cleaning fluid from the reservoir, and a soft rubber washer reinforcing said opening.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which a number of fine openings are cut through the cleaning member to provide passages for the cleaning fluid from the reservoir.

5. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which a portion of the entrance space to the reservoir is closed to provide'an entrance opening of suitable width.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,481,772 Zell Jan. 22, 1924 1,619,180 Benussi Mar. 1, 1927 1,882,588 Heath Oct. 11, 1932 2,061,219 Wright Nov. 17, 1936 

